Who (and what) influences your health?

Who do you turn to when you have health questions or medical concerns, or just need motivation to stick to your diet or make it to yoga? Physicians and other health practitioners are a good place to start, but here are eight places people often turn to when health questions arise, plus tips on when it is and isn’t a good idea to listen to them.

1. Confide in friends & family

In 2016, an Australian research study revealed that many parents turn to friends and family first for advice about their child’s health or behavior before asking their doctor. Discussing health issues with the people closest to you is normal and healthy; they may not be medical professionals, but they know the kind of person you are, and they can help you figure out what’s best for you. They might even help you see the situation differently, and they’ll feel good being there for help and support—even if you don’t end up taking their advice.

Not telling everyone you know is OK, too.

Those close to you know you on a more personal level than your health care provider; they are often trusted people who will speak plainly and from a place of love; you can learn from others’ similar experiences.

You may want to keep some health information private; friends and family members are usually not trained health professionals and can give biased information.

2. Go shopping

Natural foods stores aren’t just places to buy incredible healthy foods and products; many also offer in-store seminars, healthy-cooking classes, mini health fairs and knowledgeable employees who are trained in answering your questions. David Stack is a regular customer at Tunie’s Natural Grocery & Vitamin Market in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, because, as he says, he loves “their mission to make health foods and supplements affordable.”

Natural products stores exist to bring more wellness to your community and to help you put your health into your own hands. The owners and staff members are often passionate and knowledgeable about living a healthy lifestyle.

When presented with so many options, it can be overwhelming to research every ingredient and read every product label to decide which foods, supplements or other products could be beneficial to you in your search for health or healing. Be sure to use the in-store health professionals and staff members (who have already done this work for you) as a resource to direct you to products that may work for you.

3. Surf the Internet (with caution)

If your first instinct upon seeing a rash on your arm or feeling a headache coming on is to race to the computer and Google it, you may have “cyberchondria,” a term first coined in 2001.

Cyberchondria can be dangerous, resulting in misdiagnosed conditions, delayed treatments, quack cures or worry regarding worst-case scenarios, not to mention stress, anxiety and depression that can make you feel even sicker.

If you know what you’re doing, though, conducting medical research online can actually be quite helpful. Look for websites sponsored by the U.S. government (ending in .gov), not-for-profit health or medical organizations (.org) and university medical centers (.edu). Avoid for-profit websites, like drug or insurance companies trying to sell you something. And always check the date; keep searching if it’s more than a year or two old.

Web searches are also a good way to find daily workouts, healthy recipes, inspirational blogs and online forums that connect people with similar lifestyle interests or medical conditions.​

You can get health information from the comfort of your home and use that information to solve minor health issues or get advice about where to turn next.

A lot of incorrect health information exists on the Internet, so you need to be prudent about finding reliable resources and resist the urge to seek out information that just supports what you want to hear.

4. Get in the social network game

Got a health question? Tweet it! Need some advice? Post it!

Recent estimates tell us that a whopping 81 percent of the U.S. population has access to social media, a 5 percent increase from 2016. One pro of social networking is that information can be spread quickly—although that can also be a con in this age of “fake news.”

Social media is a powerful health influencer for Brandi Keel. Although she’s from a small town in South Dakota, she has more than 900 Facebook friends, and she’s come to rely on their support—for example, when she posted about insomnia and received more than 50 helpful tips, from suggestions about medications and lavender to the idea of sleeping with cotton socks over her hands.

Social media platforms can harness the power of crowdsourcing to provide health information and perspectives from many people at once.

You may receive a lot of information from many people and will need to decide how reliable your sources are and if the information pertains to you; many in your newsfeed will not be trained health professionals and could give biased information.

5. Find (or start) a support group

When you’re diagnosed with a disease or illness, it’s natural to want to talk to others who know firsthand what you’re going through. Find in-person or online groups where you can go for resources and been-there-done-that advice. King and several fellow breast cancer survivors formed their own support group; they get together regularly to socialize (and commiserate) and to host events that raise research funds. They also travel around the country to participate in Susan G. Komen 3-Day walks.

Even when you’re not sick, being part of a group can be a powerful health influencer. Fitness and exercise groups, mommy-and-me classes and community health seminars can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Sometimes there’s no better way to heal than talking with others who have been through similar experiences and who can tell you about their successes, failures and own helpful resources. Online groups make this type of support accessible for more people.

The group setting, whether in person or online, may be uncomfortable for some people; personalities of group members may clash, diminishing the quality of the support.

6. Catch up on celebrity news

If you’re always interested in hearing about what famous people are up to, don’t be ashamed; you’re not alone—nor shallow.

“We look to popular culture to learn life strategies that would have been learned from role models within our ‘tribe’ long ago,” explains Frank McAndrew, PhD, author of several studies on the subject. “Celebrities are, by definition, people who have done well, and it’s to our advantage to learn their strategies for success and to avoid their mistakes.”

Although some celebrities make headlines only when they’ve been arrested or caught on camera doing something questionable, others use their status to help others. Actor Michael J. Fox has been the face of Parkinson’s disease since he publicly announced his diagnosis in 1998. In a testimony before a U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing in 1999, he said, “What celebrity has given me is the opportunity to raise the visibility of Parkinson’s disease and focus attention on the desperate need for more research dollars.” He founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which funded $87.8 million in research programs in 2015 alone and has been called “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world” by The New York Times.

But celebrities aren’t always successful when thrusting their health causes into the spotlight. In 2008, actress Jenny McCarthy claimed that toxins in vaccines caused her son’s autism. She based her opinion on 1998 British research that was later debunked but caused millions of parents across the country to rethink or refuse vaccines for their children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a decrease in vaccinations caused measles outbreaks (and some deaths), including 667 cases reported in 2014. Of course, not all of this can be attributed to McCarthy’s outspokenness, but she has since softened her stance, explaining that she’s not anti-vaccine but “pro-safe-vaccine.”

Celebrities use their platform and influence to highlight new and progressive health methods that you may not have otherwise heard of.

Celebrities could be receiving reimbursement to tout a certain health product or regimen and often have access to resources that are expensive or not practical for most people. Additionally, they may be passing along information that is incorrect or advice that doesn’t apply to other population groups.

7. Tune in

The possibilities here are endless—reality shows like The Biggest Loser, talk shows like The Doctors or The Chew, cooking shows like Healthy Appetite, documentaries like Food, Inc. and podcasts like Half Size Me can influence the way we think, diet, exercise, relax, eat and make crucial health decisions. Tune in to the ones that sound interesting to you, but again, verify the legitimacy of the source.

Documentaries and films can provide health inspiration and a deep dive into a specific health topic.

The motivator behind the creation of a film or television show may be a biased source that wants to sway the information in favor of a certain belief, sell a certain product or legitimize a conspiracy theory. Check who helped make the film possible and if they have reasons to promote a certain bias or health belief.

8. Rely on the best health influencer of all: You!

No matter what your friends and family think, what you heard during a podcast, or where your Internet research led you, YOU are always your own best health advocate.

King found that out the hard way; after discussing her options thoroughly with her oncologist, she opted for a double mastectomy, even though her husband and mom didn’t agree with her decision.

No one knows you better than you, and there comes a point where you need to trust the knowledge you have about your own body and what feels right or wrong, what motivates you or works against you, and what you need to do to feel your best.

If you keep all your health woes to yourself, you can miss out on an opportunity to benefit from others’ insights and can easily become overwhelmed with the emotions and tasks of managing your health decisions alone.